Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-01-31
WILD WINTER WEATHER.
The Thermometer Drops Fifty De-
cal andUnprecedented Change in the

grees in Twenty-F0ur Hours
cal andUnprecedented Change in the
Temperature.
Sudden change" was the common
salutation among people going out to
church yesterday morning, and occasions
ally such expressions as why isn't this
awful" would be heard from someone
who had just began to realize the extent
of the cold. Yes, it was very cold. and
surprisingly so, too. coming SO suddenly
upon the mild weather OF the few days
preceding Sunday. Saturday afternoon
the dreaded black flag was hoisted- from
the signal service quarters across the
river. II was then forty one degrees
above zero, and the mercury might drop
twentydegrees, which is as much as the sig
nal Office ventures to predict at one time
Consequently the appearance of the black
flag did not cause a great amount of un>
essiness. for humanity in this section had
been drinking in so much of the delight
full atmosphere. that nature was not pres
pared to accept any warning of sudden
return OF the unwelcome gest, whose de-
parture had been attended By the thanks
of long suffering people a week ago.
But the frigid visitor returned neverthe-
less and those vino went to bed Saturday
night with the thermometer at forty
above, found the intruder had come dur>
ing the night, and made good use of his
time too. for the mercury was flirting
with the ten degrees below point at day.
light Sunday
Within less than twelve hours there
had been change OF fally fifty degrees,
q fall OF temperature unprecedented in
so short time before. A stranger 10
the city last night was heard to remark.
iii this is the kind of weather you folks
are heir too, it is very surprising to me
that your graveyards are not fuller than
they are" And if such radical changes
were frequent there certainly would be
more solem professions to the cemetery,
or hasty population Tor a more congen-
ial cline.
Though the cold was most keenly felt
in Rock Island yesterday because 1t came
so suddenly upon the heels of protract>
ed spell of very mild winter weather, it
was not so severe as it Was at other
points in the northwest. At ST. Paul ii
was 20 degrees below All through Da>
kota and Montana it was from 25 to IS
degrees below, while in the British pos
session it ranged as low as SO degrees be
low.
The cold wave had its origin some
place in the northwest British possessions
last Thursday. 1t came south as far as
Northern Dakota, where it remained a
full day. developing into blizzard at
Bismarck that caused the territorial legis>
lature in session there to adjourn because
there wasn't enough fuel in the town TO
keep the legislative halls warm. 1t struck
Rock Island sometime between midnight
and daylight yesterday morning, and it is
now well on its way to the Atlantic. The
effect of the wave is general, even reach>
ing as far south as the Gulf of Mexico
and Northern Florida, while all through
the Caroinas and Virginia there has
been more or less snow and good deal
OF frost. The indications point to long
and severe spell of very cold weather in
the south during the next few days. The
indications today are fair and warmer
weather in Illinois and in the west gen
orally.